Fact Sheets

People

Organizer:The Boomershoot is
organized and run by Joe Huffman, Director. For a more detailed profile on Joe’s
background, along with bios of other Boomershoot specialists, please see the Media Specialists
sheet.

Shooters:About
130
participants (up to the minute stats are
here) and dozens of
spectators are expected to attend the Boomershoot this year. Along with
countries of Canada, UK, and India, the states
in red below reflect where shooters have come from over the years
including the people signed up for Boomershoot 2012.

Backgrounds: Shooters come from all walks of life, including law
enforcement officers, scientists, engineers, software developers, and members of
the Boeing Pistol & Rifle Club. Others are gun rights activists such as
Stephanie Sailor, three-time Illinois U.S. Congressional candidate
(Independent), known for running cyber campaigns on a $0 budget.
More: Chicago
Reader October 15, 2004

Explosives

Our recipe: The explosives we use are a mixture of ammonium nitrate (a
fertilizer), potassium chlorate (used in making matches), and ethylene glycol
(common automobile antifreeze).

For more on how our explosives work, please visit
here.
For more on our explosives experiments, please visit
here.

Purpose of our formula: The design goals for this explosive were safety, reliable detonation from rifle fire, a satisfying reaction from shooters, environmentally friendliness, and price.

Containers: Cardboard boxes of 4" and 7 3/8" square are used to hold the explosives.

What you actually see during an explosion: The “smoke” you see from
Boomershoot explosives is actually not smoke. The explosion byproducts are water vapor, nitrogen (80% of fresh air is nitrogen), carbon dioxide (again, a component of normal air), oxygen, and a couple ounces of
the salt potassium chloride. Sometimes dust and dirt is also thrown into the
air.

Most commonly used caliber at our shoot: 30 caliber (shoots a bullet that is approximately 0.30 inches in diameter). Of the 30 caliber cartridges, 308 Winchester and 300 Winchester Magnum will probably be the most represented.